The Right Direction
by Storyteller09
Summary: Sometimes all you need is a push in the right direction. Mary/Marshall. Post second season finale.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first foray into 'In Plain Sight' territory. This first chapter is a bit angst-y and raises a lot of questions, but I will warn you all. I write fantasy fics. It's just a thing of mine. I write better when I can have a little leeway on how stuff happens. Thus, fantasy. It also a clear Mary/Marshall flick. Mainly because while Raph is kind and sexy, Marshall is super sweet and deserves a little reward after what happened in the second season finale. Which, of course, is when this is set.

The Right Direction

Chapter 1

Mary was lost. Drowning and falling and dying and it wasn't fair. It wasn't freaking fair.

Marshall was gone. Just… vanished. She'd been shot and he'd been in there patiently waiting for her to wake up and then… nothing. The others told her he'd been in her room the last time they saw him. The hallway cameras showed him entering, but he never left. Yet he was gone. And it wasn't fair.

Mary very nearly gave up. The second she realized he was missing, she had practically ordered Stan to find him. When he'd had no luck, she'd snuck a laptop into her hospital room and started the search herself. Her family had come and gone throughout her treatment and still she searched.

After a month of dealing with her obsessive behavior, Raph left. It hurt, true, but not anymore than she'd already been hurt. It was a mere pinprick in an already gaping hole. Truthfully, she wasn't even surprised. She knew she'd been on a short fuse since he- Marshall- had disappeared. It just seemed even harder than usual to care what others felt or thought. Marshall had truly been her keeper and without him there… the exotic animal was unapproachable.

It wasn't like things were so great before she'd gotten shot. Raph was being annoying about the whole WITSEC thing and his constant need to know where she was and what she was doing was getting exasperating. It took a while, but she realized that their relationship had lacked two very important things: trust and the forever kind of love.

That kind of love was rare. So rare that she couldn't even see it when it was right in front of her. And why she hadn't admitted it to him when she had the chance would always haunt her. Why was it that you never realized what you had until it was gone?

***

A/N: So tell me if I'm moving in the right direction. I've already written the rest of this flick and it's not too long, but tell me if you think what I'm doing is interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm really happy with the great reviews I've gotten already. Thanks for reading and here's chapter 2.

Chapter 2

Mary was depressed. Three months had gone by and not one single word had come into the office about him. She didn't know what he was doing or where he was, but it had to be something extremely weird and remote for there to be no trace of him anywhere in any law enforcement database or public searches. Whatever he was doing had better be damn important for him to leave her like this. Especially with what's-his-face, Inspector Andrews, over there. The man was actually sitting in Marshall's chair and using Marshall's desk and sometimes she felt like just shooting him for presuming that he could take Marshall's place. Somewhere in her mind she did realize that it wasn't his fault and it wasn't fair for her to blame him for doing what their bosses told him, but then again, as she'd already found out, life wasn't fair and she wasn't about to forgive him. Her train of thought after depressing thought was interrupted by her cell ringing. She frowned and tried to figure out who would possibly be calling her. Jinx and Brandi, as devastated as they were by her injury, had learned quite a while ago that she didn't really want to talk to anyone about anything. She had been frankly surprised that Stan had allowed her to stay in the office this long without seeing some kind of shrink. Of course, she'd probably throw it in his face or shoot him, but oh well.

"Mary here." Her voice nearly cracked. Geez, had it been that long since she'd done anything but glare at people?

"Hello, Mary." The voice was young and female. Mary wracked her brains trying to recognize it, but no luck. So… no one she knew then.

"Who's this?" Mary spat out. Her temporary partner raised his eyebrows, but dismissed her anger. That's how she'd talked to everyone these days. The girl's next question silenced her fuming.

"How badly do you want information about Marshall Mann?" The nameless voice asked. Before she could reply to how stupid that statement was, the girl continued. "Meet me in thirty minutes at the city park."

"Wait…" Mary trailed off as she realized the girl had already hung up. She stared at the phone. The caller I.D. read unknown. No kidding. She grabbed her badge and left her gun. Seeing as she wasn't on active duty, she wasn't cleared to carry it anyway. If this person had information about Marshall, she'd find a way to get the it, gun or no gun. "I'm going out."

"Right." Andrews nodded in agreement. He'd given up attempting to speak to the fierce inspector long ago. She strode into the elevator and punched the button with a bit more force than was absolutely necessary. She was impatient, as always, and the thirty minutes passed too slowly for her liking. Finally, she was sitting on a bench in the middle of Albuquerque City Park, watching the children play on the playground. She figured her mystery caller would find her sooner or later. A rustle of fabric and a soft sigh told her it would be sooner. She turned and studied the young girl. She looked completely normal, blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to hide some secret knowledge. Eyes that, for one painstaking moment, reminded her of his when he was regaling her with some useless and inane trivia.

"What do you know?" She demanded, skipping all formalities. The girl raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Everything." She stated calmly. Mary folded her arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mary was getting frustrated. Not that that took too long.

"Nearly three months ago, I offered Mr. Mann a deal." She explained and launched into her story.

***

A/N: I know, a really short chapter, but I didn't want to put the backstory in this one, so I went with shorter. In fact most of the chapters will be shorter until about the last one or so. I guess I'm a sucker for suspense. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I've been blown away by the awesome-ness of the reviews I get from the people here in 'In Plain Sight' fanfic section. It's kinda cool. I did have a reviewer ask if the mystery girl was Mary and Marshall's daughter from the future and I did give that a lot of thought, but finally decided. No, she's not from the future and she's not their daughter. It just works out better the way I had already written the story. Sorry! Your review does get kudos for making me think, though. :)

Chapter 3

"Nearly three months ago, I offered Mr. Mann a deal." She explained and launched into her story.

***

_"You gotta wake up, Mare. Everyone's waiting for you. We're all just waiting for you to wake up. You gotta come back. If not for me, then for Raph. We need you." Marshall was bordering on tears. Again. He thought his heart couldn't break any further when he'd heard she was engaged. He was wrong. To see her laying there, broken, it was almost too much to bear. The doctors claimed it was a coma; the longer she stayed asleep, the less likely it was she'd ever wake up. He was cursing his ability to remember most of everything he'd read, including the medical journals. He knew it was unlikely she'd wake up and it was killing him._

_"You can save her." A voice had him whirling around and reaching for his gun. He relaxed a fraction after he took in the young girl in a nurses' outfit. It struck him as odd that he hadn't heard her come in, but he dismissed it. Something about her led him to think there was more to this girl than he could see. He offered her a small smile, the most he could manage for now._

_"I wish. I'm useless." He responded bitterly. The girl shook her head._

_"No, you're not. You love her." The girl pointed to Mary's sleeping form. "More than she'll ever realize. I'm here to offer you a deal."_

_"What kind of deal?" Marshall couldn't squash the flicker of hope that sprang up inside him. Where as Mary wouldn't even listen to people who spoke of religion, Marshall wasn't about to deny the fact of higher being. And somehow he knew that this girl was something… else._

_"You… you're in limbo. You're stuck. Nothing can change. You love her, but aren't willing to tell her. I'm here to offer another option. I have some… resources at my disposal. I can make her better. I can wake her up. But, it comes with a price." The girl replied calmly._

_"Anything. Everything." Marshall promised instantly._

_"You have to give her up. You have to come with me. I have my own style of witness protection. I'll find you a job and a life. All you have to do is leave her behind." The girl's voice was soft, attempting to soften the blow she was delivering. Marshall felt the air leave his lungs in one big rush. This was one decision that would tear him apart. To stay by Mary's side, whether she loved him or not, and lose her, or to give her up and trust in this stranger who said she could help._

_"How do I know that you're telling the truth? How do I know you aren't just crazy?" Marshall insisted. The girl let out a soft chuckle._

_"You, Marshall, are a United States marshal, fifth generation. You're the only marshal that Mary actually let stay as her partner longer than two months. She's bitchy and insulting, but fiercely loyal and protects those she loves like a pit bull with a hand gun. And you love her. You sit across from her at work and at those lunches you share and hate her for choosing Raph and wishing she was yours. It kills you to see her with someone else, but you won't leave her. You're her keeper and you would do anything for her. Even be her friend when it hurts you." The girl crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. Marshall was positive then. There was no way she could possibly know this kind of stuff. Not any conventional way. "I know everything and I do not lie. I can help her."_

_"Then fine." Marshall spat out and stood. He squeezed Mary's hand one last time, leaned over and kissed her forehead, and walked over to the stranger. "If it saves Mary, then fine. I'll do it. I'll go anywhere you want, do anything, as long as you promise me she'll be okay."_

_"Okay. Give me your hand." The girl held out her hand expectantly. Marshall took one last look at Mary and noticed she was stirring. Her heart monitors showed that she was coming out of her coma. He took the stranger's hand and vanished in a flash of light._

***

A/N: And that's the end of the third chapter. I'm hoping the first fantasy bit wasn't too much for everyone. This is about the only reason I could ever see for Marshall to leave her side; he's just too in love with her to ever leave without having a good reason. As for the girl, I never say her name or what she is, so there aren't any answers there, sorry. She's just… well she's the fixer or angel or whatever you want to call her. I just relish the ambiguity. Make your own assumptions.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Again, really good reception. You people are spoiling me. Here's Mary's deal. I also added a Marshall bit. And I warn you now, I couldn't think of a practical place to send Marshall where Mary couldn't find him. She's just too thorough. So… it's a bit odd, but just go with it.

Chapter 4

"Let me get this straight. You took him? You took Marshall?" Mary knew her voice was getting a bit higher, but she was focused purely on this girl and her story. She was also trying to keep from slapping this weirdo for stringing her along. It wasn't working.

"Inspector Mary Shannon, how would you like to make a deal?" The girl stared at Mary, oblivious to the woman's anger. "I know you believe that if there were a higher power, it obviously hates you, therefore you refuse to believe in it, but tell me this… didn't that higher power supposedly create Marshall? Didn't circumstances allow you to come together and become friends, partners?"

"And then you took him away!" Mary accused. She bit her lip with indecision. If she were to believe that, then she would have to accept that this mystery person/power/whatever could change that. She glared at her and gave in to hope. "What's your deal?"

"Mary, you have an absolute fear of commitment. Don't stop me, I know exactly what I'm talking about. You couldn't face what was right in front of your face; you couldn't see or accept that Marshall loved you. And you couldn't return that love. Now, after facing losing him, I want you to finally admit that you love him. I want you to give yourself a chance to love." The girl leaned forward. "Can you do that? Can you convince me that you love him and aren't just trying to get him back?"

"Besides the fact that you could probably tell that I'm lying, why bother? Marshall is gone, off wherever you sent him. What good would it do?" Mary pointed out.

"Admit you love him, really love him, and I'll bring you to him. You can have your heartfelt reunion." The girl promised. Mary watched her carefully and nodded.

"All right. I'm not sure what emotional revelations you want from me, but, yeah, I love him. I don't know why or how I fell in love with him, but I do. I loved Raph, don't get me wrong, he was sweet and kind and caring, but he wasn't Marshall. He wasn't my best friend. He didn't understand me or what I do. And he never really will. It was like we were trying to make the engagement work. It should have been natural, it should be easy. It should be like it is with Marshall. It should be me teasing the doofus and him spouting off some random trivia that no one in their right mind should know. I loved Raph, but I _love_ Marshall. Please bring him back." Mary sniffed and tried to hide the rebellious tears that were slipping through her defenses. The girl smiled and nodded.

"There. That wasn't so hard, now was it? Don't you feel as if a giant weight has been lifted from you?" The girl was perky, too cheerful for Mary's liking. She held out her hand. "Take it. Let's go find your Marshall."

***

"What the hell is Marshall doing here?" Mary gazed out at the tribal village in disdain. It was primitive, a total waste of Marshall's talents.

"He's teaching. Not only is he helping the village's children to learn academically, he's assisting in teaching everyone English and how medicine and first aid works. He's very gifted." The girl answered easily. They were invisible to the others, allowing Mary to see what Marshall's life was like. It was creepy, but Mary wasn't about to dismiss it's usefulness if it brought her to Marshall. They followed one running boy into a school-looking building. And there… there was Marshall. He looked tired and more than a little disheveled, but he smiled at the young boy indulgently.

"You're late." He reprimanded. The boy answered in some foreign language.

"How does he know what he's saying?" Mary was understandably curious.

"It's a gift that came with the job. You know, Marshall would make a great dad." The girl hinted.

"Let's just get through the whole reunion before we talk about children, okay?" Mary rolled her eyes. She watched him interact with the kids, smiling and laughing. She frowned. "He's really happy. How can I take him away from something that makes him happy?"

"While it's nice to know that you understand what he sacrificed, keep watching." The girl ordered. It took several minutes, but finally Mary noticed what the girl was talking about. A lull had come in the talking and Marshall had pulled out his battered wallet from whatever native clothing he was wearing. A pained look came over his face and Mary instantly recognized that feeling. It was what your face looked like when you felt your heart breaking. "It's a picture of you. One of the rare ones you've allowed over the years."

"Damn, Marshall." Mary hated pity, but she knew what it felt like to have one's heart ripped to shreds. She sympathized. "You are going to let me talk to him, right? I mean, you don't expect me to find him based on the village size and location."

"No, you can talk." The girl tilted her head. A second later Marshall copied her move. He sighed and stood. He told the children to keep working and came outside.

"All right, where are you?" He sounded extremely weary. Mary looked over at the girl. She nodded and waved her on.

"Right here." Her reply was simple and she knew the second he saw her. His face paled and his eyes widened in disbelief. He stood there, taking her in, head to toe, and didn't move. "Well, come on, Doofus, I'm waiting."

"Mary?" He was shocked, she could tell. He finally recovered enough to hug her, his arms tight around her. She sank into his embrace. It was as if she was finally whole again. She smiled into his shoulder, actually happy for once in her life. There were no Jinx and Brandi problems, no Raph trying to snoop into her work, no idiot witnesses. It was just her and Marshall. She pulled away suddenly, again startling him.

"What the hell was that? You just left! I woke up and you were no where to be found! How is that good for me?!" She accused him.

***

A/N: Hope it wasn't too weird. I ended up having to stick him in faraway village. Oh well. :P Thanks for reading. Still got one or two chapters left. Tell me what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I've decided to just wrap this up. This is the last chapter. Thank you for all your great reviews!

Chapter 5

"What the hell was that? You just left! I woke up and you were nowhere to be found! How is that good for me?!" She accused him. He smirked.

"Yep, that's Mary." He grinned foolishly and brushed a stray hair from her face. She leaned into his touch. "How've you been? You look tired."

"Oh, you're the one to talk, Doofus. I have spent the last three months recovering from getting shot and finding my dumbass partner who apparently disappeared off the face of the earth before I woke up!" She felt right, normal. All was right in the world.

"I didn't want to, you know that." Marshall protested.

"I know, I know. You got an offer you felt you couldn't refuse. Why didn't you just tell me you loved me when you had the chance?" Mary asked. Marshall shifted nervously.

"You don't work like that Mary. People can't just say they love you to you. And then you have Raph. I was just in the way." Marshall smiled, but there wasn't real life in this one. It was one of the fake ones, one that Mary realized from all the times that she'd talked about Raph in front of him. It was when he was hiding what he felt from her. This time she wasn't having it.

"Well, Raph is gone. So you can come back." She watched him start to protest and added the interesting part. "And I… I love you. So you have to come back. Because I just spent the last three months trying to tread water and I'm tired of swimming alone. Plus… your temporary replacement is an absolute idiot."

"I'm surprised he's lasted this long." Marshall joked, buying time for him to process the fact that the woman he'd loved for more than a year loved him back.

"Well, I mean, they haven't really let me back on full active duty yet. I'm still expected to talk to a shrink, or some other crap." Mary brushed it off.

"They want you to talk to a shrink? I know you were shot, but it shouldn't be that bad to talk about." Marshall wasn't about to let this go.

"Well… I wasn't exactly happy when you vanished, you know. It was like, I don't know, I stopped caring. You have to come back or I don't know what I'll do. I need you Marshall." Mary knew she was resorting to pleading, but she didn't mind. Anything to get him back. "Please tell me you'll take me back. Please tell me you still love me."

"I will never, ever stop loving you. No matter what you do." Marshall swore. He leaned forward and then… they were actually kissing. Mary wrapped her hands in his hair, pulling him close, while his wrapped around her waist. It was like Mary had always imagined kissing would feel like.

"Damn, Doofus, where'd you learn to kiss like that?" She teased after they broke apart. He smirked.

"I read. A lot." He joked right back. She chuckled.

"I gotta see these books of yours." She hugged him as close as she could get. "So… you coming back, lover boy?"

"I…" Marshall paused and glanced at the mystery girl. "Am I allowed?"

"Oh, don't worry about the village. They'll be fine. There is no shortage of people who are willing to help out, but just need the push." The nameless girl raised a hand and light flared around them. When it cleared, they were back in the park. "Besides, you're needed here. You've got an exotic animal to keep up with."

"Never thought I'd say this, but thanks." Mary was still in Marshall's arms and had no intention of moving in the near future. "You aren't too bad for a mystery girl."

"If you've got a boss, I'd ask for a promotion. You obviously have legendary people skills if Mary Shannon likes you." Marshall pointed out.

"Just because I love you doesn't mean that I won't hit you, Marshall." Mary warned. He just gave her kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Sometimes you have to break something to really fix it." The girl answered. "Marshall had to leave for you to realize just how much you needed him, wanted him. And he wasn't going to do that unless he felt it was in your best interest, Mary. I just gave you a shove in the right direction."

"Then thanks…" Marshall trailed off as the girl smiled indulgently and vanished. "You know, I worked in that village for three months for her and never even got her name."

"Oh well. I'm just glad I finally found you." Mary hugged him again and then tugged him towards her car. "Now should we go back to work or do you really want to see what happens to your plants when you leave me in charge of watering them?"

"Work's fine, though I need to grab my extra set of clothes out of my car. These clothes itch like crazy. I'm actually quite surprised that you're willing to let this go. You, Mary, are actually okay with not knowing how something works." Marshall still sounded too incredulous for his own good. Mary shoved him, but it lacked any real anger.

"Whoever she was, it worked." Mary kissed him again, causing them to lose track of walking. She pushed him towards the car. "Come on. Now what are we gonna tell Stan about your little vacation to wherever that was?"

"Mary, don't tell me you couldn't recognize the dialect?" Marshall actually sounded surprised. Mary pulled out her parking space, reached over, and punched him in the shoulder. "Hey!"

_***_

The End

P.S. I was inspired by part of a song for this, so I'll add it here. Every time I hear this part it makes me think of Marshall's face when he hugs Mary after hearing she's engaged to Raph.

_You Belong with Me by Taylor Swift_

(I know this was about a girl loving a guy who's her best friend and doesn't really see her like that, but these parts are perfect for Marshall)

_Dreaming about the day you wake up and find_

_That what you're looking for has been here the whole time_

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along, so why can't you see?_

_You, you belong with me, you belong with me_

_Walking the streets with you and your worn-out jeans_

_I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be_

_Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself_

_Hey, isn't this easy?_

…

_Standing by and waiting at your back door_

_All this time how could you not know?_

_Baby, you belong with me, you belong with me_

_Oh, I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night_

_I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're 'bout to cry_

_And I know your favorite songs and you tell me 'bout your dreams_

_Think I know where you belong, think I know it's with me_

_Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?_

_Been here all along, so why can't you see?_

_You belong with me_

_Standing by and waiting at your back door_

_All this time how could you not know?_

_Baby, you belong with me, you belong with me_

_You belong with me_

_Have you ever thought just maybe_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

A/N:I swear, I nearly cried when I saw his face. He looked so damn heartbroken. Well in my story Marshall gets the girl. I love writer's privilege. This wraps it up; I'm sad. :( Tell me what you think and thanks for sticking with me!


End file.
